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December 09, 1941 Cable from Dimitrov to Stalin, Molotov, Beria, and Malenkov

Citation:

“Cable from Dimitrov to Stalin, Molotov, Beria, and Malenkov,” December 09, 1941, History and Public Policy Program Digital Archive, RGASPI, f. 558. op. 11, d. 66, ll. 43-44. Contributed by Jamil Hasanli and translated by Gary Goldberg. https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/119104

Summary:

Cable to top Soviet officials advising against reviving the Communist Party of Iran, and instead advising its members to work through the People's Party. Kuybyshev believes the Communist Party would be too small to be significant, and would give British and Nazi agents in Iran an opportunity to turn Iranian elites against the Soviet Union.

Credits:

This document was made possible with support from the Leon Levy Foundation.

Original Language:

Russian

Contents:

English Translation Scan of Original Document STRICTLY SECRET

SUBJECT TO RETURN WITHIN 48 HOURS

Reproduction prohibited TO THE 4 TH PART OF THE SPECIAL SECTOR

OF THE VKP(b) CC, MOSCOW, THE KREMLIN

[Handwritten across the top of the text: "I agree with Cde. Dimitrov

[V]/ Molotov 10 December

Cde. Stalin agrees. I sent to Cde. Dimitrov. Molotov"]

CABLE from KUYBYSHEV sent at 2325 9 December 1941 arrived at the VKP(b) CC for decipherment at 0730 10 December 1941

Incoming Nº 4202/sh

MOSCOW, VKP(b) CC, to Cdes. STALIN, MOLOTOV, BERIA, and MALENKOV.

A group of Iranian Communists, former political prisoners, has begun to revive the Communist Party of Iran. They have created a temporary bureau, identified one comrade (Arashes- Oganesyan) for liaison with the IKKI [Executive Committee of the Communist International], and turned to us for directions. They are also requesting prompt agreement to send their delegate to us. Per the materials of the Personnel Department of the IKKI and on the basis of information of NKVD officials who have been in touch with them locally, these Iranian Communists can be considered completely honest revolutionaries and pro-Soviet people.

At the same time a People's Party with a democratic program has been created in Iran by a democratic figure Suleiman Mirza. Mirza has been fighting for democratic reform in Iran for 30 years now. Some Iranian Communists also participate in this People's Party.

Considering the special conditions of Iran (joint occupation with the British, the democratic and subversive work of the Nazis and their agents, the wariness and hostility of part of the Iranian ruling circles, we think that the revival of the Iranian Communist Party, which was always a small sectarian group, would hardly make a difference at the present time, but would definitely cause certain difficulties and complications. This will strengthen suspiciousness and dissatisfaction in the ranks of the ruling circles and provide more opportunities for German agents to frighten the Iranian bourgeoisie with the danger of the Sovietization of Iran, and indeed they make the British themselves suspicious with respect to the Soviet Union, which is supposedly striving to Sovietize Iran.

Therefore I would suppose that in the present situation the Communist Party ought not be revived but that the Communists ought to operate in the People's Party and pursue a policy of:

1. Fighting for the democratization of Iran;

2. Defending the interests of the workers;

3. Strengthening friendly relations between Iran and the Soviet Union;

4. Completely eradicating the agent network of fascism in Iran and suppressing anti-Soviet propaganda. Along with this, the Communist should work to create trade unions and peasant organizations.

I also consider it inadvisable for a delegate from the Iranian Communists to be sent to us since this fact will be also used by our enemies in Iran. One of our suitable comrades under suitable legal cover, who could help the Iranian comrades in pursuing this policy, could be sent instead.

If there are to be no other instructions from you I am thinking of sending the Iranian comrades advice to this effect.

DIMITROV

Deciphered at 1220 10 December 1941. Six copies printed. Kozlov,

Nezlobin, Luk'yanova. [Stamp: draft and cipher text destroyed] Illegible signature ap